New research has reinforced the long-held view that cities which strive to promote physical activity gain a significant economic advantage. The findings, presented this week at an Active Cities Summit in Bristol, show that investing in parks and green spaces, removing the barriers to active commuting and encouraging exercise in schools and offices can pay sizeable dividends. The University of California study – which was commissioned by Nike and UK

The £1bn (€1.3bn $1.42bn) Swansea Tidal Lagoon – an innovative renewable energy scheme which could also feature an oyster hatchery, restaurant, visitor centre and watersport centre – has taken a significant step forward after the UK government granted planning permission. Proposals from developer Tidal Lagoon Power (TLP) for the world’s first tidal lagoon to generate clean electricity are being masterplanned by LDA Design – the firm which also worked on

The Long Museum in Shanghai – designed by Atelier Deshaus – has been revealed in stunning new imagery by British architectural photographers Hufton+Crow. Deshaus’ design, which was shortlisted for The Designs of the Year 2015 awards architecture category, has been brought to life in the duo’s imagery. The museum is located next to the Huangpu River, Xuhui District, on a site that was formerly used for coal transportation and its

A new public park at London’s Battersea Power Station development will include industrial furniture in a nod to the site's past, as well as event lawns, festival spaces and terraced gardens running alongside the River Thames. Details of LDA Design’s 24,281sq m (261,360sq ft) park have now been revealed, with planning consent having been granted earlier this year. The architectural practice said its designs combined “industrial references, traditional park features

Thierry W. Despont's soon-to-be completed renovation of the Ritz Paris will see the first ever Chanel-branded spa unveiled at the historic hotel, officials from Ritz Paris have confirmed. While many details of the spa remain well under wraps, in a statement, the Ritz Paris said the spa – Chanel au Ritz Paris – will be “a new beauty concept dedicated to Chanel’s skincare” and will “provide guests with a unique

A beach made from a mishmash of construction materials and an ocean comprised of 750,000 recyclable plastic balls is being created in the heart of Washington, D.C. Brooklyn-based design studio Snarkitecture has created the 10,000sq ft (929sq m) interactive architectural exhibit – the BEACH – for the National Building Museum. It follows in the footsteps of a life-sized maze designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, which was installed in the museum’s

The Mumbai skyline is undergoing major change with the development of two uber-luxe residential towers with extensive leisure offerings vying for the attention of wealthy Indians. The World One Tower was designed by architects Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and, at 117 storeys, will be the world’s tallest residential skyscraper. The £205m (US$314m, €280m) tower is located in the Worli district of South Mumbai – which will also be the

Fitness First Group has revealed details for its exclusive new health club concept, Gravity. The first Gravity health club will launch in Singapore in July, with designs by Fitness First and Studio HBA – a division of hospitality design firm HBA. The US$7.3m (€6.5m, £4.7m) gym will be located at the top of the new CapitaGreen Tower in the Singapore Central Business District, offering “spectacular” views of Marina Bay and

Hopkins Architects’ plans to build a new £1.75m (US$2.66m, €2.4m) pavilion at the historic Herne Hill Velodrome in London have been approved. The velodrome dates back to 1891 and is the last surviving venue from the 1948 Olympics, but the old pavilion had fallen into disrepair despite the track itself still being regularly used. Local councillors unanimously voted in favour of the new plans to regenerate the velodrome, where Olympic

Plans have been revealed for a massive surf park development in Austin, Texas, with the first waves set to break at the facility in 2016. The development will be the first in North America. The developer behind the project is NLand Surf Park, led by founder and CEO Doug Coors of the Coors brewing family and backed by Colorado-based 9th Street Capital. The 12-acre (48,500sq m) wave pool will be

Mixity Design’s 33-floor Trump International Hotel & Tower in Baku, Azerbaijan, is to open this month. It will have 72 luxury residences and 189 hotel rooms. The London-based studio’s design features an exterior facade with a distinctive silhouette resembling “the mast of a sail in high seas”, and is comprised of metallic bronze panels, glass openings, and private terraces. Neighbouring the Zaha Hadid-designed Heydar Aliyev Center, the tower is sited

Following the phenomenal success of New York’s High Line – a disused railway transformed into a public greenway – architects across the world have been keen to get their hands on similar projects, with cities and countries keen to capitalise on the unused space. The Singaporean government is the latest to get involved, shortlisting five architects to develop a feasible plan for 24km (15m) of track spanning the length of

Glenn Howells Architects (GHA) is to design a new building for the English National Ballet in London as part of the development of London City Island. The English National Ballet School will take up residence in its new home in Q3 2018. It will be be located at the heart of the new creative quarter. Spanning 12 acres, the London City Island mixed-use development will include restaurants, shops, spaces for

It can only be reached by taking a speedboat over a coral reef and descending a dramatic three-tier staircase, and was originally opened in 2012 as the world's first underwater nightclub. Now Poole Associates has redesigned Subsix, the underwater venue located at the Per Aquum Niyama resort in the Maldives, to become a multi-functional creative space which can be “transformed into whatever guests imagine it to be”. Subsix is 6m

New York has seen ten ambitious new buildings from a range of top architecture firms spring up at the same time – with the public given free reign to add to, amend or otherwise improve on them. But there is a good reason for such apparent madness, as the buildings are made with Lego and are part of an art installation at the High Line in Manhattan, a public park

One of the largest man-made ice structures in the world has opened inside Iceland’s Langjökull Glacier in the shape of IceCave – a development designed for visitors to see the naturally occurring blue ice phenomenon. Backed by leading pension fund investors and the Icelandair Group, the network of man-made tunnels stretches back as far as 300m (984ft) into the solid ice glacier – the second-largest in Iceland – and a

Raison d’Etre’s spa and wellness brand LivNordic has launched the first of three spas planned on cruise ships as part of a partnership with Viking Ocean Cruises. Inspired by Nordic bathing traditions, including alternating hot and cold experiences, this ship’s spa offers the first snow grotto at sea. Inspired by nature, the LivNordic design, by Raison d'Etre, uses white pigmented ash, reminiscent of the Tree of Life in Norse Mythology

Stadium redevelopment plans laid out by architects Populous for newly-promoted League One football team Southend United are imminent, according to the Englieh seaside town’s Council leader, Ron Woodley. The £80m (US$122m, €111.4m) redevelopment, tentatively known as Fossetts Farm Stadium, includes a £25m (US$38m, €38m) 22,000-seat stadium, a 12-screen multiplex cinema, a hotel and retail park, and a 13-storey tower block comprised of 170 apartments. The futuristic-looking stadium will also be

Sport and entertainment architects, Populous, have announced a merger with Jump Studios, a London-based practice which specialises in high-concept interiors, installations and architectural design. The merger was unveiled at a press conference in London on the evening of 1 June. Jump Studios were established in 2001 and specialise in retail, workspace, exhibition, brand experience, pop-up, restaurant and bar design. It has clients ranging from Nike and Levi Strauss to Red

Qatar Museums has started its search for an architect to design a one million square foot art gallery in Doha, Qatar. The Art Mill International Design Competition will remodel the Qatar Flour Mills, using existing grain silos within the architecture to create one of the largest art galleries in the world. The site is around 83,500sq m (898,787sq ft) with extensive outside space integrated with the design, giving opportunities for

A Snøhetta-led team has been chosen to create a walkway giving public access to the second largest waterfall in the US. Toronto-based architects Dialog and Portland-based landscape studio Mayer/Reed complete the design team for the ‘Riverwalk’ portion of a revitalisation project at Willamette Falls, in Oregon City, Oregon. Riverwalk connects the city centre to the waterfall, which will be accessible to the public for the first time in 100 years.

London-based Aros Architects have produced early plans to turn World War II sea forts seven miles off the British coast into a luxury hotel and spa. The unused Red Sand Forts in the Thames Estuary near Kent, built in 1943 to defend Britain against a Nazi attack, could become a hotel with executive apartments, where guest can fly in by helicopter. A similar development took place at Spitbank Fort –

Experience designers BRC Imagination Arts are introducing a ‘game-changing’ fan experience to the world of sports attractions. The Selig Experience exhibit honours retiring Major League Baseball (MLB) commissioner and former Milwaukee Brewers owner, Allan ‘Bud’ Selig. Opened at Miller Park – the home of the Brewers – the experience features a multimedia presentation telling the story of Selig’s role in saving MLB in Milwaukee, his efforts to bring the Brewers

Herzog & de Meuron’s 42,000-seat football stadium in Bordeaux, France, has been completed – with Zinedine Zidane the guest of honour at its inaugural match. Delivered on time and on budget, Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux has been designed to appear 'light and open', according to the Swiss architects. Grand staircases blur the boundaries between the inside and outside, while 900 white columns guide visitors on their way in and out

New York’s One World Trade Center has cut the ribbon on the Hettema Group-designed One World Observatory, allowing visitors to venture to the very top of the western-hemisphere’s tallest skyscraper. The “entertainment experience” – managed by Legends Hospitality – is comprised of a 120,000sq ft (11,148sq m) observation deck at the top of the US$3.9bn (€3.6bn, £2.6bn) Skidmore, Owings and Merrill-designed (SOM) tower, along with an accompanying ground-floor experience. On

British skincare brand Elemis has teamed up with designers Virgile and Partners to transform its central London day spa into The House of Elemis – a new flagship beauty house combining wellness with retail. Launched last week (28 May) the opulent Mayfair townhouse was conceptualised by Elemis co-founder Oriele Frank in partnership with Virgile and Partners. The design brief for The House of Elemis was to reflect the brand pillars

Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa’s vision for Sydney’s Art Gallery of New South Wales will be realised after SANAA architects were named winners of the contest to design the AU$450m (US$344m, €315.6m, £225.2m) revamp of the facility and surrounding area. As part of the expansion, the existing building will become “a global cultural landmark” amid plans to double the size of the 23,000sq m (247,500sq ft) gallery. SANAA’s design incorporates